I got a lot of feedback on last week’s column, which made its way through cyberspace. It got a lot of play on Pittsburgh Steeler fan sites and even made its way to Facebook.
This week, we will get back to business as usual — Penn State football.
In today’s edition of Morelli OnLion, we’ll take a look at the Nittany Lion offensive line and feature another member of the Class of 2010.
Let’s start with the O-Line.
Rebuilding Project
Make no mistake about it, Penn State’s offensive line will be a work in progress in 2010.
Last season, the Nittany Lions used five different combinations in the trenches including four in the first six games of the season.
This season, the Nittany Lion coaching staff will undoubtedly try many different combinations before Sept. 4 arrives. Fans got a glimpse of the shuffling during the annual Blue-White Game, which featured several different combinations along the line.
Offensive coordinator Galen Hall knows that the team’s success will depend upon the offensive line.
“How they perform is how we’re going to perform,” Hall said. “To be a good offensive unit, you’ve gotta be pretty solid up front. I think the thing we did is we were experimenting. We lost our top three tackles last year in (Dennis) Landolt, (Ako) Poti and (Nerraw) McCormack. We had to get that position sort of solidified. And so we had a bunch of combinations this spring. I think finally we had them lined up in the right place.”
There are a couple of locks as far as starters go. Third-team All-American Stefen Wisniewski moves from center to right guard. Lou Eliades is also back. The fifth-year senior has moved from right guard to right tackle.
After that, look for junior DeOn’tae Pannell at left guard. He started the first four games at tackle last season, but is re-visiting the role he played in 2009. Redshirt junior Quinn Barham is the No. 1 left tackle. Fifth-year senior Doug Klopacz has taken over at center for Wiz.
According to Klopacz, he’s ready for his turn in the spotlight.
“Joe said, ‘you had a good spring, you deserve a shot.’ What’s that make you think? That makes me think that I guess I’m doing some things right. When the boss says you’re doing pretty well and you’re working hard and he wants to give you a shot, I guess I’m doing some things right. I’m just going to keep doing that and play my part,” Klopacz said.
For those of you who watched the Blue-White Game and thought that the offensive line starters are etched in stone, think again.
“It doesn’t mean this fall we come in, look at the film again and everything, we might make some more changes. I’m not saying we will or we won’t, but I think the main thing is to get everyone experience during the spring and to try to line people up in the right positions and give them a chance to be successful and give us a chance to be successful,” Hall said.
Heading into 2010, one thing is certain — Wisniewski will be the anchor no matter where he plays. During his four seasons in Happy Valley, he’s made more moves than a U-Haul.
“As far as expectations, I’m not sure exactly what to expect. I think whether I stay at guard or not will depend on how much the coaches trust Doug Klopacz at center. I don’t know exactly how they feel about that right now. I think he’s been playing pretty well there, but that’s a decision for the coaches.”
There are also some other bodies in the mix as the line begins to take shape throughout the summer and into fall. Redshirt sophomore Matt Stankiewitch made a couple of starts at left guard last season. Redshirt junior Johnnie Troutman made eight starts at left guard.
During the spring, both Stankiewitch and Troutman were running with the second team. However, that could all change by the time September rolls around.
“I think the coaches are just trying to get the right fit for the team. I think we played pretty well as a unit,” Klopacz said. “Hopefully, we can just progress off that and see what happens in the fall.”
According to Hall, the summer months are crucial to the line’s development.
“They have to do it on their own. As coaches, we can’t even say, ‘hey, we want you to work on this,’ which we don’t do anyway. But see, I think that’s where we need some leadership on offense,” Hall said. “Who it’s going to be, I don’t know. You hope Wiz would be the person because he’s most experienced. … The summer program is where your leadership takes place.”
Class of 2010: Zach Zwinak
It sure looked like Zach Zwinak was going to be a Virginia Tech Hokie.
The Frederick, Md., native grew up surrounded by the Hokies, as his father played for Tech in the 1980s. As time went on, Zwinak began picked up dozens of scholarship offers.
Ohio State, Notre Dame and Penn State were a few of the other schools that began courting the 6-foot-1, 230-pound prospect from central Maryland.
Suddenly, the Hokie legacy wanted to blaze his own trail.
A few weeks into his senior season, Zwinak decided that trail would lead to Penn State. He became the Nittany Lions’ 16th verbal commitment on Sept. 14.
“It’s just everything,” Zwinak said after committing. “The football, coaches, the school, the people around the community, just everything. It all just came in and felt right.
“I was trying to look and see what they’ve got now and what they’re going to be doing in a couple of years,” he said. “It’s kind of where I feel that I fit in best, with what they have now.”
Zwinak was the main cog in the Linganore offense this season, as the Lancers won the Maryland Class 3A state title. He finished the year with 2,016 yards and 25 touchdowns, and was named the Maryland Gatorade State Player of the Year. He was also named a consensus and big school all-state selection, and was the MVAL Offensive Player of the Year. Defensively, he finished with 70 tackles.
He was selected to and participated in the Crab Bowl in December and the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in January.
Chris Morelli is an award-winning writer/editor who lives in Centre County and covers Penn State athletics. He is also a regular on “Sports Central,” which airs on ESPN Radio in Altoona and State College. E-mail him at morellionlion@gmail.com.